Boots No 7 skincare is in the news again! New research apparently confirms the efficacy of yet another Boots No 7 anti-aging product, and reminds us of what happened the last time Boots skincare was in the news…

Boots is the UK beauty product manufacturer that fueled the desire of women everywhere two years ago when their extremely popular Boots No 7 Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum (a.k.a Restore & Renew in the US) was shown to increase the youthful appearance of skin. [Remember how that very same Boots anti-aging serum sold out everywhere immediately following a BBC television show announcing its positive anti-aging results?]

This time it won’t be Boots’ Protect & Perfect serum flying off the shelves. Instead, the mass-market product at the center of the latest scientific study is the Boots No 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum.

Results from a newyear-long scientific double-blind studyfunded by Boots and published online today in the British Journal of Dermatology showed the anti-aging efficacy of the Boots No 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum, demonstrating “for the first time, that a commercially available over-the-counter ‘anti-ageing’ product improves the appearance of facial wrinkles when used in the long term.”

The same research team has apparently found that both the original Boots No 7 Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum and the Boots No 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum can stimulate production of a protein that promotes skin elasticity called fibrillin-1. The latest study links the improvement of facial wrinkles in photo-aged skin to the serum’s ability to restore this fibrillin-1 protein, but does not specifically breakdown the particular contribution of key ingredients to this effect.

Meilily’s Thoughts on the Study Results and Product Comparisons

Meilily posits that the new scientific results may be part of an extremely smart marketing strategy for Boots… › Continue reading

In honor of Tax Day in the US, here are some current discounts and deals for saving on Tax Day!

- Saks Fifth AvenueFriends & Family Sale is here: Use code SFAFAM9 to get 15% off cosmetics and fragrance, 20% off jewelry, and 25% off everything else, from April 14-19, 2009 online (in-store from April 16-19, 2009). See site for more offer codes! [Thanks to the ladies at eMakeMeUp.com for the heads up!]

- BeautyHabit has a nice free shipping code, 40DEAL, on orders of $40 or more until April 30, 2009!

- Sephora is having a special 15% sale with code BD2T9CB5 until April 21, 2009. (Note: The Sephora site has been heavy hit during this sale, so you may need to be patient.)

The April 2009 issue of Allure Magazine includes a surprise spread featuring none other than legendary supermodel Cindy Crawford looking fantastic and fit. Not only does 40+ Cindy Crawford look youthful in the Allure photos, but she also looks healthy, in a supermodel-esque way.

Healthy Beauty: Cindy Crawford in Allure April 2009

This latest photo spread in Allure Magazine is an excellent example of how healthy beauty is currently “in.” It looks like the days of fast food replacing home-cooked meals or of the waif-ish stick silouette replacing the hourglass figure may truly be gone. We could even start finding ourselves looking for new icons of beauty – beauty in health and beauty in strength. The striking Allure photograph of Cindy Crawford ripping apart a loaf of bread wearing a bikini definitely illustrates such iconic beauty in health and in strength, featuring toned muscles, glowing smooth skin, and… rustic organic whole grain bread.

How to achieve such a youthful, healthy look?

Meilily’s Tips for Looking Healthy, Strong, and Beautiful:

Meilily Tip 1. Keep your body well-rested - Who’s going to care that your friends stayed up all night partying 2 days in a row (while you stayed in and got your beauty sleep) when you show up at the next event looking amazing? Meilily thinks sleeping in is the best beauty treatment ever!

Meilily Tip 2. Take a chill pill and give your head a break - Why stress out over little things that don’t matter? Research has shown that the body responds better to allergens when it has less stress and more rest. Plus, red, itchy skin is never attractive! › Continue reading

Meilily Deals Alert! Just wanted to let you know about these beauty deals (there are a bunch)!

Becca Cosmetics is having a rare site-wide 25% off sale until March 29, 2009 with code SPRINGFLING09. If you miss this sale, the latest Becca products can also be found at shops like Makeup.com and NeimanMarcus.com.

Meilily Free Stuff Alert!
While the name “Victoria’s Secret” and the term “natural beauty” may not be totally synonymous, lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret may now be trying to change that with the launch of their new natural beauty line called Naturally Victoria’s Secret.

The Naturally line, available now in stores and online starting April 1, is supposed to feature products with natural ingredients in five light scents, though as yet it is still unclear to me what else they might be bringing to the table when it comes to natural beauty products. (I guess I will just have to check out the line in person and post here later!)

So, to kick off the launch of Naturally, Victoria’s Secret is giving customers free stuff when they purchase Naturally Victoria’s Secret products in stores. (The gift with purchase is valued at $38.)

Victoria’s Secret has been selling beauty products made by other brands alongside their own beauty products for a while now, but the launch of the Victoria’s Secret Naturally line may be an indication that Victoria’s Secret is › Continue reading

The beauty gurus at Bliss have done it again! To celebrate those daily essentials – coffee and sun protection – Bliss will be giving away a free cup of coffee and a free Bliss sample of Best of Skintentions on March 18, 2009 at a limited number of coffee shops throughout the US.

Event: Bliss Free Coffee & Free Sample GiveawayWhen: March 18, 2009Where: Select local coffee shops in four US cities (Sweet Joanna’s in San Francisco, Bistro 320 in New York, Caffe Baci in Chicago, and Elysse Cafe in Los Angeles)For more details and giveaway locations check out the Free Coffee flyer from Bliss.

I actually found out about this special Bliss giveaway event pretty randomly; I was sitting in my local coffee shop › Continue reading

Right now at Bloomingdale’s you can get a really nice Lancome a La Carte gift with $35 purchase that you can customize by choosing 7 Lancome beauty items (out of 11 choices) and selecting either a white or black cosmetics bag. This Bloomingdale’s Lancome gift with purchase might even be better than the amazing Nordstrom Estee Lauder gift with purchase from last year.

How to get the Bloomingdale’s Lancome a La Carte Gift

Just go to Bloomingdales.com and add $35 worth of Lancome products to your cart, and the Lancome a La Carte gift options will automatically appear in the cart details page. From there, you will see 8 individual gift items in your cart, with a drop-down menu for you to choose your items.

Keep reading for a list of the Lancome gift with purchase products and more details…› Continue reading

Meilily Deal Alert! Through the month of February Blissworld.com is giving away a free full-size Bliss The Love Handlerfirming gel with any purchase (no code needed). This full-size Bliss gift with purchase has a $36 value and is caffeinated to target and tone “love handles.” It’s a pretty nice freebie!

Remember the Bliss Employee Sale I mentioned? Well, there are still sale items on the Bliss site that are steeply discounted, including cosmetics from Sue Devitt and Napoleon Perdis. Search Blissworld.com for the word “sale” and find some fantastic deals!

Meilily Sale Alert!Sue Devitt Beauty is currently having a really fantastic Friends & Family Sale – everything is a whopping 50% off! As far as sales go, this one is truly great, especially since Sue Devitt makes some really unique high-quality beauty products. The last time I saw Sue Devitt Beauty prices this low was during the Bliss Employee Sale.

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, and if your significant other expects a gift but you haven’t gotten anything yet, you may be in trouble, especially if flowers from Safeway just won’t cut it.

In case you’re still looking for a gift that says “It took me forever, but I got you something really cool,” check out the links below to some of Meilily’s past Product Picks and Gift Ideas that are sure to please. Products shown clockwise from top-left:

If you’re looking for a great men’s gift idea, look no further. L’Occitane’s Cade Shaving Soap and Bowl set makes a fantastic gift! The solid shaving soap is subtly scented with Cade juniper and lathers up really well with a shaving brush. This shaving soap set comes with a sturdy metal bowl with lid that looks great on a countertop. At $44 for the set (or $16 for the soap, $28 for the bowl) the L’Occitane Cade Shaving Soap and Bowl are both worth paying a little more for and are high quality products.